POR Question

[ScouterCa]

I thought I read somewhere that a troop can have only 1 of certain PORs and more than 1 of other PORs. I can't seem to find it now. Does someone know the answer to this?

 

(For instance, can there be only 1 Quartermaster or more than 1? And the same question to the other positions.)

 

Thanks!

[Eagle732]

I think you can have as many youth leaders as you want in the various positions. the Scoutmasters Handbook, chapter 3, which describes the positions mostly refers to the positions in the singular but that doesn't mean you can't have more than one of a position.

 

It makes sense to have only one SPL but if you think you need 3 ASPLs then you should have them. If you have large patrols maybe you need 2 APLs per patrol, nothing says you can't. Troop Guides, Instructors, QMs, etc, all depends on what the needs of the unit are. We try to limit the PORs to only those necessary, we don't have a Librarian or Historian. Those all seem to be jobs that are freebies for POR credit. If the SPL and PLC decided we needed a Librarian or Historian we would have one but they would actually have to do something to get POR credit. Out troop has Patrol QMs which is not an official position and doesn't count towards advancement.

 

 

[Kudu]

 

No reason you can't have one Troop Quartermaster for each Patrol.

[ScouterCa]

Yes, I realize you can have duplicate positions inside the patrols. I was looking more for the Troop.

[Oak Tree]

I don't think I've ever seen a statement that you can only have one of any given position in a troop.

 

Some positions clearly allow for multiples - den chief, JASM, troop guide. Some positions are commonly multiplied. A number of troops have multiple ASPLs. We've done multiple quartermasters. Can't say I've ever heard of a troop that had multiple librarians.

 

When I say I haven't seen such a statement, I really mean that I don't think that there is such a statement. Multiply whatever you want.

[Eagle92]

The key to having multiple people in a POR si that they work together. So if you have 3 QMs, they are working together to knwo exactly what the troop has. You got 3 SPLs, their specific duties are outlined and they work together.

 

I was fortunate in that I grew up in the days of the Leadership Corps, which was it's own POR, and we could be assigned duties as needed, or given a specific job.

[ScouterCa]

Thanks for clarifying it for me.

[Kudu]

 

(Now that the OP's question has been answered)

 

Oak Tree writes:

 

"Can't say I've ever heard of a troop that had multiple librarians. "

 

The perfect number is 26: One librarian for every letter in the alphabet.

 

That way most Scouts First Class and above would already have a permanent POR to apply the EDGE Method to and become a great leader.

 

The Patrol Method could then return to the spirit of pure volunteerism where natural leaders step up for additional responsibilities, as it was in Green Bar Bill and Baden-Powell's golden era, before the invention of required POR compensation for advancement.

 

Patrol Leadership could once again be limited to the best man for the job: The Scout most capable of leading his Patrol into the woods without adult helicopter association, rather than just anybody who "needs" a POR for six months.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu